LIVERPOOL, England – Everton manager David Moyes acknowledged Liverpool‘s significant summer transfer spending, totaling £450m including Alexander Isak’s British record £125m move from Newcastle, but emphasized the club has “earned the right” to invest, contrasting it with Everton’s £63m outlay.
speaking ahead of Saturday’s 247th Merseyside derby, Moyes stated, “You have to earn the right to (spend money).First of all you have to win and be in the big competitions which make the money.” He cited his time at West ham, where three years of european competition enabled increased spending and revenue.
“from that point of view I think Liverpool are entitled to do it,” Moyes continued. “I heard Arne (Slot) defending himself saying he’s brought in a lot of money as well. But I still think they’ve spent more on one player than we have on the whole squad.”
Moyes admitted derby matches are challenging, stating, “I think I’d be lying if I said yes. It’s much easier if you are the team who have the strongest squad.” He underscored the disparity between the clubs, noting Liverpool’s status as potential Champions League contenders while Everton is focused on rebuilding after recent challenging seasons.
“We are up against it and we have to go ther and fight for everything we can,” Moyes said.”It’s having a realism of where the games are and where the clubs are. I need to try to shorten the gulf between the two clubs. At the moment Liverpool are champions, probably favourites or second favourites for the Champions League, and we are not. We are Everton, who have just come out of three or four difficult seasons and are trying to rebuild. Trying to bridge that gap is quite difficult to do.”
